Hopi Pueblo Tall Polychrome Frog Woman Pottery Vase by Joy Navasie [SOLD]

This tall polychrome pottery vase was made by Hopi-Tewa potter Joy Navasie—the second “Frog Woman.”  With an appealing shape and strong designs, this jar is a fine example of Navasie’s work.  It’s a tall vase with a gently sloped shoulder and a rim that turns upward.  Just below the vase’s widest point, a shallow curve begins. This curve makes its way to the base, which is about the same size as the upper rim.  As a whole, the vessel feels smooth and well-balanced.

Navasie’s pristine white slip covers the entire exterior and reaches a few inches down into its interior.  A wide band of Hopi designs decorates most of the slipped exterior, within framing lines at the top and bottom.  Four groups of four vertical lines divide the design band into quadrants.  Each quadrant mirrors the one on its opposite side, save for a few subtle variations in color and form.  Navasie’s designs echo her vessel’s elegant, well-balanced feel.

The bottom of the jar is signed with Navasie’s frog hallmark.

Joy Navasie (1919 - 2012) second Frog Woman - Yellow Flower was born in 1919 on Hopi Pueblo's First Mesa. Navasie recalls that she began making pottery at the age of 17. She learned to make pottery from her mother, Paqua Naha—the first Frog Woman. Her distinctive decorative style is instantly recognizable, as she used a white slip, over which she painted dark brown and rust color designs. Her skillful application of bird, water and sky elements around perfectly formed pots was and still is unique.  She was a master at the craft.

Condition: very good condition, with one very small abrasion to the rim and a few small abrasions on the exterior (see image below)

Provenance: this Hopi Pueblo Tall Polychrome Frog Woman Pottery Vase by Joy Navasie is from a private New Mexico collection

Recommended Reading: Modern Hopi Pottery by Kathryn A. Sikorski, Utah State University

Relative Links: Hopi-Tewa, Paqua Naha, Pueblo Pottery, Loretta Navasie Koshiway, Joy Navasie - Frog Woman